


Mother?

by jd4941



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Family Secrets, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Other, Sex Magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-12
Updated: 2015-09-12
Packaged: 2018-04-20 11:08:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4785089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jd4941/pseuds/jd4941
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU SB to EF. Regina had let her Mother go after being tricked into killing her by her nemesis. But it wasn't until she was gone that she realized that what she did know wasn't real. And the second chance she'd hoped for her Mother wasn't lost. She just had to be brave enough to take it. Established SQ past. TW: violence, child abuse</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JadedAngelsisRising](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=JadedAngelsisRising), [JadedAngelRising](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JadedAngelRising/gifts).



> **** I do not own OUaT nor its characters****
> 
> This prompt was loaned to me from JadedAngelRising. Special thanks and shout out to her. It was inspired by a dream of hers. If you hadn't noticed I've become pretty obsessed lately with exploring exploring the relationships between Cora, Regina and Zelena. I think they all get pretty screwed by the horrible choices of storylines of the show.
> 
> As for my other fics, I know I haven't updated in forever. But I promise I will again soon. Definitely next week at the very latest. Hope you enjoy 8D

"Mother!"

Regina's confusion at seeing her Mother's eyes roll skyward had turned into a strangled cry bursting forth from her choked up throat. She instinctively reached out to her Mother as she began to fall. Her full weight crashed down on Regina and they both tumbled to the ground.

Tears glistened in the corners of Cora's eyes as they took in her daughter before her. This was not a look Regina had ever believed possible. Cora had drummed into her head practically from birth that love was weakness. And though she'd hoped, Regina couldn't let herself believe just yet.

Then Cora lifted her hand to press against Regina's cheek. Her touch was lukewarm.

Regina breathing became labored. "Mother?"

"You would have been enough," Regina's breath hitched in her throat as she dared not believe words she'd waited her whole life to hear from a woman who'd told her time and time again she wasn't good enough. "You are enough. You always have been," Cora's hand slid down Regina's cheek and landed with a small thump.

Cora gave one last gasp. Then she was gone.

Regina looked around her with wide eyes. The reality of what had just happened still not breaking through the shock just yet.

She gazed around her at Rumple, Snow, David, and Emma. She couldn't believe what she was seeing with her own two eyes. David's and Rumple's faces held smug disbelief. Emma's eyes bulged as she openly gaped. Then there was Snow.

Snow turned away unable to meet the accusation in Regina's eyes. But Regina knew. She didn't know how or why just yet. But she knew. Snow had done this.

Tears pricked the back of her eyes but Regina willed them away. She cursed herself. She should've known better than to trust Snow White. Snow had convinced her that returning her Mother's heart was the only way to save her. So that she could have a second chance. The same one that they were all having right now.

And that little burst of hope igniting in her chest as she thought of the possibility of her Mother becoming a real Mother if her heart had been returned to her was what Snow had used to get her own daughter to kill her. She'd snuffed away Cora's second chance just as Regina had finally found the redemption she had spent her life pining for.

Regina poofed herself and her Mother to her vault.

SQ SQ SQ S SQ SQ SQ S QS Q SQ SQ SSQ

Emma stared with disbelieving eyes at the scene before her. It was only the trail of smoke from Regina's purple magic that snapped her out of it.

"Regina!" she cried. But it was too late. Regina was gone. And with her any chance of the happy ending they had been trying to build together.

QOH QOH QOH QOH QOH QOH QOH QOH QOH QOH QOH QOH

Cora jolted upright with a gasp. She was free!

She didn't know how she knew but she could tell that time had passed.

She had no idea where she was.

But the how and why were obvious. At least to her.

She looked around her taking in the macabre surroundings. She seemed to be in some sort of vault. She was lying in a box that had been lined with a red cashmere type material. It was surrounded with candles and a fireplace was nearby. Aside from that, the room lay bare.

Cora jumped out of her makeshift coffin. She stretched and loosened all of the muscles and joints in her body trying to take a mental stock of everything. That's when the memories came flooding back at her.

Cora gasped again and clutched at her chest. Her baby! Regina was all alone and defenseless against the evils in the world. She'd already had one baby stolen from her. She wouldn't let another one be taken away from her.

Cora quickly made her way through the maze of hallways as she sought a way out.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Zelena had known without being told precisely whose room this was. It was the only one in the dilapidated castle that still stood complete. It was even surprisingly dust free inside.

She went through the rows and rows of beautiful dresses that had been lined up against the wall until she came to something she liked. She pranced around in front of the mirror as she ran a hand over her body exchanging the dress she was wearing for one of her little sister's. The brat had gotten everything that Zelena had never had. One more thing to add to the list of reasons why Zelena did and always would hate her.

She should've been Queen. She was the oldest sister. And she knew she would have been a great one too. If she hadn't been thrown out like yesterday's trash.

She turned side to side in front of the mirror in her new dress. It fit her like a glove. It seemed as if it had been made specifically for her.

She chuckled to herself feeling like a little girl playing in Mummy's things while she was away. She walked over to the dresser. She picked up one of the perfume bottles. She spritzed it into the air and took a big sniff. She nodded her approval and then began to spray it on the pulse points of both wrists and around her neck.

At least the brat had good taste. Purple looked good against her green skin. When she was done with her sister, she'd take her signature color along with everything else from her.


	2. Letting It Sink In

**CHAPTER 2**

Emma broke every traffic law she was sworn to uphold as she made her way over to the mansion. She didn’t care. She knew Regina needed her.

It had been a really weird road for the two of them to get to the place they were at now. And she’d be damned if she’d let a nutcase like Cora ruin her happy ending. She and Regina had worked too hard, lost too much, and fought way too hard for that to happen.

When they’d gotten word that Cora was in town Regina had immediately insisted on sending Henry away for his own safety. She’d begged Emma to go with him too. But Emma had seen the fear on the face of the woman she knew as well as everyone else had once been the Evil Queen. There was no way she was leaving her alone to face her.

Cora’s play at framing Regina for Archie’s murder had instantly backfired. Apparently she hadn’t bothered to do her research. Emma and Regina had been sleeping together for quite some time and she was Regina’s alibi. Even though Ruby had insisted she’d seen Regina with her own two eyes, Emma wouldn’t hear of it. She had known there was no way and she’d been adamant about her defense of her. And there was no one in town stupid enough to tangle with the Savior and the Evil Queen together.

Then the wretched woman had shown up at their house just as they were making their way upstairs. That’s when Emma had instantly realized that she was the one who’d framed her own daughter. Emma had slammed the door in her face as Regina collapsed in her arms in tears.

Now Regina was in pain again. Emma could feel it course through her as surely as if it was her own. And she knew nothing was going to stop her from reaching Regina’s side.

She got to the mansion and banged on the door. They hadn’t officially moved in together but they were pretty close to it. At this point it was merely a technicality. Emma spent almost every night at the mansion wrapped up in Regina. When she got no answer she fished in her pocket for the key Regina had recently given her. She quickly unlocked the door and ran inside.

“Regina,” she called out. When she was met with silence she raced through all the rooms calling out for her. When her search came up empty, she racked her brains for all of the likely places Regina would retreat to. Henry’s fort - ? Emma shook her head and quickly dismissed the thought. The vault? The vault! That had to be it. Regina would want no one around her as she licked her wounds.

Emma ran and jumped back into her car. She made a beeline for the cemetery. She had only barely parked the car before she was jumping out in her hurry to get to Regina’s side.

Regina and Emma had spent many nights talking about her past. Emma was aware that her Mother had been abusive to her her entire life. Regina still had nightmares where she would wake up shaking and crying hysterically either about her Mother or Leopold. Emma was a little confused how Regina herself didn’t see it that way.

She seemed to take her Mother’s abusive ways as just the way things were. And she’d get angry with Emma for trying to show her that love didn’t leave a child broken, bloodied, or bruised. She’d hoped she was getting through to her.

But Cora showing up had surely set her back in that effort. Emma raced inside and past the open casket. She ran down the stairs where she found Regina kneeling next to the chaise lounge where her Mother’s body lay. She had her face buried in the crook of her arm and she was sobbing loudly.

Emma slowly walked over to her. “Baby?” When Regina raised startled tear drenched eyes to her she held up her hands. “It’s okay baby. It’s just me. I promise. No one else followed me here,” Emma walked closer to the Regina before crouching down beside her.

Regina turned and fell into Emma’s arms, “She’s gone!”

Emma nodded and turned them so that she could hold her girlfriend. She sat with her back against the lounger with Regina tucked under her arm, “I know baby. I know. I’m so sorry,” she rubbed soothing circles into her back and just held her until she was spent.

Once Regina’s sobs died out they continued to sit quietly for a while longer. Finally Emma pulled back from Regina a little, “Baby, let me take you home. We can deal with this in the morning.”

Regina looked over at her Mother and then back at Emma. She nodded. Then she poofed them both back up to their bedroom in the mansion.

Emma looked around wildly. She still wasn’t completely used to all this poofing and magic business. She still got a little motion sickness from the quick whisking away. But now wasn’t a time for complaining.

She rose and lifted Regina up onto her feet. She undressed her carefully before lying her down in the bed. Then she pulled off her own clothes quickly and lay down behind her. She held her tightly against her body.

The past few days had been emotionally draining on both of them. Sooner than they thought possible, they both succumbed to the darkness.

QOH

Cora exited the dungeon that she had been locked in. She looked around trying to get a bearing but there was nothing.

She found a door and exited. She walked up a flight of stairs that led to the first floor of what appeared to be a massive home. She turned around in the foyer wondering where she should begin.

She decided to go all the way up and work her way back down. So she took the massive double staircase and went upstairs. She found nothing but empty bedroom after empty room. She went back to the ground level and went throughout the place. There was nothing. The place was spotless but showed no signs of any life anywhere. There wasn’t even so much as dust gathered to give a clue as to how long it had been since the place had last been occupied.

Cora sat in the massive kitchen. She had found an apple tree out back and had picked some of the fresh fruit. She pulled out a knife and sliced the apples up eating slowly so as to allow her stomach to get used to digesting.

She still had no idea how long she’d been out but hoped it wasn’t for longer than a few days. She put her hand across her abdomen. Her belly had gone down quickly after giving birth. She had never been one to have to worry about weight. But she was no longer producing milk. That worried her. She had no idea what her baby had been eating. Or who had been caring for her while she had been entombed.

She’d honestly learned almost nothing. Adding to the almost nothing she had known upon awakening and she was still completely lost. The only thing she knew for sure was that this wasn’t her home. And she needed to get back to her husband and child as soon as she could.

She went through the house once more gathering supplies. It was starting to get late. She didn’t want to be caught out in the middle of nowhere in the dark. Instead she’d spend the night there and start out tomorrow morning first thing.

She was a little nervous about staying there. What if the person who’d entombed her showed up? But it was a chance she was willing to take. She made herself up a bed in a strategic spot that left her with 2 different exits. That would at least allow her a first advantage if someone tried creeping upon her.

She lit a fire in the fireplaces. Thankfully someone had stacked wood. She’d be able to keep warm during the night. She lit the candles and even though she fought it for as long as she could, she ended up falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	3. Looking Ahead

**CHAPTER 3**

Cora slept until early morning. She had already collected some water from the well to wash with. It had been heating inside the kettle that hung inside the large fireplace. Even though the fire was almost dying out there was still some heat left.

She poured it and some of the water from the bucket into the washbasin. She used it to clean herself up as she came up with a gameplan in her head.

She had to get to her daughter. That was imperative. But she also needed to figure out where she was so she could get herself home. She knew time had passed but hoped that Henry had been able to hold things down with their daughter while she had been away.

Cora looked around the place. She ransacked every room she came across. Aside from the fact that they were all empty, they were also pretty much generically clean.

She made her way down to the kitchen continuing to search for any clue of anything. She made herself a quick meal. And after gathering as much as she could carry that seemed like it could come in handy, she randomly chose a direction and just walked.

SQ

Regina gasped aloud and woke with a start. She lay for a few minutes trying to shake off the nightmare that had taken over her sweet dreams.

"You okay baby?" a sleepy voice mumbled from behind her.

Regina turned carefully making sure not to jostle the arm that was around her waist too much. She looked up into Emma's blinking green eyes that were still drenched in sleep.

Emma blinked away the sleep while she tried harder to focus on Regina. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep. But her girlfriend needed her. And she was going to be there for her no matter what. She covered her mouth as a yawn broke its way free. "How are you baby?" she pushed out around it.

Regina smiled at her girlfriend. Emma had become one of the best parts of her life. She'd woken a part of her that Regina had thought dead and buried with her beloved Daniel. She'd been her protector against the hordes and stood by her side no matter what the fight.

Regina had been shocked to find out that they shared a true love. Daniel was her true love. And she'd buried any romantic feelings she could ever have for anyone right along with him. But the sparks that danced around them when they were intimate and the fact that she couldn't get her out of her head if she wanted to only confirmed what she'd known in her heart for a long time before the words ever crossed her lips was true. Fate had given her a second chance and sent her a second true love. Who just so happened to be the Savior who had broken her curse. Fate's irony wasn't lost on her.

Then the events of the past few days came rushing back at her. Regina's smile that came so easily around Emma turned into a frown. She broke free of her embrace and sat up looking around dazed.

Emma was instantly awake. She too sat up in their bed. She grabbed Regina's hand, "it's okay babe. We're going to do this together."

Regina gave her a small tight smile. She pulled her hand from Emma's and ran it through her hair. She rose and turned and gave Emma another small smile, "I'm going to shower."

Emma scowled. She knew that look. She was usually the one wearing it. Regina was putting distance between them. She just didn't understand why.

She stood and went to the bathroom door. She frowned when she found the handle locked. They never locked doors between them. It was pretty pointless when they both had magic.

She put her ear to the door and heard the water running. She knocked, "hey babe, you want some company?"

There was a brief silence when Emma thought she wasn't going to get any response at all. Then Regina opened the door slowly. Emma smiled at her but Regina ignored it. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone right now."

Emma nodded even though she didn't want to. Something was off and she couldn't put her finger on what. But she'd learned enough about the woman she loved over the past few months they'd been together. She knew crowding Regina was never a good idea, "Yeah. Sure. I'll be right downstairs."

Regina nodded and shut the door. She sat down heavily on a chair that sat beside the shower. She wasn't purposely trying to freeze Emma out. It's just she had a lot to process and she needed her space in order to do it.

Her Mother had just died in her arms. And before she'd passed Regina had gotten the confirmation that she needed. Her Mother deserved her second chance. She had shown that with the return of her heart she was capable of emotion. Regina had seen pain, anger, sorrow, regret, and guilt all over her face. But before the two of them had a chance to reconcile any of it, that brat Snow White ripped it away from her. The very thing Regina would give almost anything in the world for. And the fact that she would get away with destroying Regina's life again burned her up inside.

A rage ran through her. She felt it bubbling inside her despite her best efforts to push it down. She had no desire to return to her Evil Queen days. That had never made her happy the first time around. And she now had Emma and her son who'd shown her that she could still have her happy ending.

Yet she couldn't ignore the feelings welling up deep inside of her. She turned on the water in the shower. She jumped under the hot spray while she thought about where she wanted to go from here.

By the time the shower was over, she'd already made up her mind. She felt it was for the best for now. She just hoped Emma and Henry would see it that way.

She dried herself off and dressed. Then she headed down to face her girlfriend.


	4. Face to Face Where it All Began

**CHAPTER 4**

Emma’s leg tapped out a rapid beating rhythm as her knee bounced steadily.  She didn’t like this at all.  Not one bit.  But the desperate look on her girlfriend’s face was the only thing keeping her from standing and screaming NO!

She sniffled and blinked back tears as she stared across at the woman she loved.  For a minute she became a blurry blob as her tears clouded her eyes.  But Emma blinked them back repeatedly until she became just her Regina again.  It didn’t make any sense to her at all.  “Haven’t we agreed that we’re stronger together?  Do you really think this makes sense?”

Regina averted her face from her girlfriend’s waterlogged eyes.  She bit her lower lip as she tried to find the words to explain.  She needed space.  And she needed some time.  Time alone to think and even to grieve what had just happened. 

She knew Emma and Henry would be alright.  They could get along without her for a while.  But right now her rage over Snow White’s deception that had ruined her chance for a happy ending again was getting the better of her.  For all their sakes’ she had to do this.  Or the Evil Queen might just make a return.

Finally she reached across and clasped Emma’s hand in hers then she said quietly, “That’s why I’m doing this.  So that we can continue to be strong.  And not have any of this hanging over our heads.”

Emma pulled her hand out of Regina’s as if she’d been burned.  She rose from her chair and went to the sink.  She rinsed out her coffee mug and placed it in the dishwasher.  Normally she could care less about a few stray dishes. But Regina kept the place immaculate.  The only thing she asked of Henry and Emma were to pick up after themselves.  It was the least they could do for a woman who insisted on carrying all burdens on her own shoulders.

A bird flying and then resting upon the branches of Regina’s apple tree caught her attention.  She leaned her hands against the stainless steel sink letting her fingers fall into the basin.  She watched as it pecked at one of Regina’s precious apples.  It ripped away at strips of the red skin exposing the yellow flesh inside.  Then it began to feast.  Emma thought it looked weird.  The red should be on the inside.  Like her own insides that were quivering at the thought of losing someone she loved again.  It was eating away at her already, “When?”

Regina stared at her girlfriend’s straightened back before rising and walking up to her.  She placed a hand along her back while she leaned in and planted a kiss on her shoulder where her tank top ended.  “Now?” she presented it as if it was a question.

Emma gave a short bitter laugh.  She knew Regina had already made up her mind.  And she never asked for anything.  Not even help that was available right at her fingertips, “Was that a question?”

“Emma - .”

Emma shrugged away from Regina’s touch.  “Was it?  Because my answer is no.  You don’t get to leave our family!” her voice began to break as the timbre rose.  “You don’t get to say time out!  You stay!  You stay and we work through things together.”

Regina bit her bottom lip.  She knew this would be hard for Emma to understand.  With her abandonment issues she was of course going to automatically see this as being left behind.  But that wasn’t it at all.

Even though the two women had spent loads of time talking about themselves and their pasts since they’d decided they were going to give this explosive chemistry that they shared a real honest try, there were still some things that were buried.  Regina knew herself better than anyone.  And right now her greatest fear was of running into Snow and not being able to contain herself. 

Usually she could keep the Evil Queen buried deep.  But her emotions were all over the place since losing her Mother.  If she broke free now there would be no end to the destruction she would cause.  She didn’t trust herself at this moment.  And she needed to get away now before she did something she’d hate herself for later. 

She felt like she had just gotten her family back.  Henry had her ability to hold a grudge.  She hadn’t realized just how ugly that particular trait was until seeing it in her own child.  Getting through to him hadn’t been easy.  But she and Emma both worked with him.  In addition to seeing Archie again in individual counseling the entire family was also participating in family therapy.  She refused to allow that to be taken away from her.

So she needed time and space.  To put herself back together again.  And unfortunately taking them along wouldn’t be a good idea.

She took a deep breath and looked up into Emma’s tear drenched eyes.  “I have to go,” she said softly.  She turned quickly not bothering to wait for a response.  As she ascended the stairs to pack she heard a glass hit a wall and shatter.  She wrapped her arms tighter around herself praying that she wouldn’t follow.

ZZ

Zelena pranced in front of the full length mirror in the room that had obviously belonged to the brat.  She turned from side to side examining the dress she wore as she went through the discarded garments.

She had tracked down the home her sister and Mother lived in after collecting whatever she could find that was useful at the castle.  She’d transported it to her place before she’d decided to give this place a looksy too.

The family had left few of their belongings behind after moving into the castle.  Seemed discarding items that didn’t live up to their status was an important part of being a Mills.

She had just tried on another dress that was so garish it was obvious why it wasn’t good enough to be worn by a Queen.  She and Regina appeared to be more or less the same size though her little sister seemed to have more up top than she did.  No wonder she’d been chosen to be the King’s whore.

She was twirling when she heard the door to the home creak open.  She narrowed her eyes as she began to hear a young woman frantically call out for Henry and Regina as she ran throughout the house.  She stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips as she waited to be found.

A beautiful young woman entered the room.  She had hair that was dark but held a hint of a deep auburn tint to it.  It fell down past her shoulders in lovely waves. She also had kind brown eyes that sparkled.  She was out of breath and she jumped a little when she saw Zelena.  Zelena’s clear blue eyes flashed but she waited calmly to see what this bumbling monkey had to say before destroying her.

Cora put her hands on her thighs as she bent over slightly.  She took in large gulps of air trying desperately to get her heart rate back down to normal.  Zelena’s eyes followed her every movement.

It had been a long tiring journey to get here.  It had taken her more than a week to get back home.  She’d been lucky enough to find some friendly people after spending a day walking through the forest.  At first they’d looked at her with suspicion before she’d finally explained to them where she was going and why. 

They’d given her piteous looks as they’d explained that she was now in the cursed lands that had been scorched by the Evil Queen’s curse.  After she described to them where her home was they’d told her that there was a slim chance that it was still standing or that her family would be intact.  But she’d insisted.  She had to try no matter what.  Her husband and daughter needed her. 

They’d understood being parents themselves.  They fed her and gave her a place to rest up.  Though at first they tried hard to dissuade her, they eventually gave in after seeing that it was useless.  After that they’d helped arrange a ride for her to get back to her home.

She’d thanked the driver of the wagon she’d ridden in to get to the house.  They’d extended an invitation of coming back with them if her excursion proved unsuccessful.  She waved them away politely.  She promised if she needed to she would find them again.  They pulled away just before she’d run into what had previously been the home she’d shared with her loving husband and daughter. 

She’d run through empty room after room calling out for both of them but to no avail.  When she’d made it upstairs she’d heard some scurrying but had dismissed it as vermin.  Then she’d come into what had previously been her daughter’s nursery and found this strange red haired woman standing there staring at her.

After she’d caught her breath, she straightened and looked at the woman who was in her home, “I’m sorry.  I’ve been away for a very long time.  I was looking for my husband and my baby.  We used to live here - ,” her voice broke off as she looked around the room which was quite obviously not a nursery.  She furrowed her brow and frowned as she noted all the changes that had happened since she’d last been home.

Zelena drew in a surprised breath that caused the woman to turn back toward her.  She licked her lips nervously and had lost her defensive stance.  She cursed herself for not being able to control her emotions in the face of the woman who was obviously her Mother.  A mother, she reminded herself, who’d abandoned her.  A Mother who’d allowed her to grow up unwanted and unloved while heaping everything onto that horrible brat.  Just the thought of her obviously spoiled sister being given a prized position in their Mother’s life was enough to fill her with rage again.  She used that rage to help propel her forward as she kept the thought that this was also the Mother who didn’t even know her own child while staring her in the face forward in her mind.

“Haven’t you heard my pretty?” Zelena sneered.  “The Evil Queen has cursed this land.”

Cora looked around her with eyes that glistened with tears.  Zelena stepped back shocked and angrier than before. 

“What are you crying for?” she hissed loudly.

Cora fought to compose herself.  When she was able she apologized, “I’m sorry.  It’s just that I awoke days ago not knowing anything except that I needed to get home to my husband and my baby.  And now you’re telling me - ,” Cora’s tears started anew.  She backed up until her knees hit the end of the bed.  Then she sank onto it as she held onto the bedpost.  Her entire body shook from her sobbing out her grief.

Zelena pulled out a handkerchief that had been discarded among her sister’s things.  “Clean yourself up.  The sniveling isn’t going to help.”

Cora accepted the handkerchief and wiped at her eyes and nose.  “Thank you,” she told her blushing sheepishly.  She began to thread it between her fingers as she figured out what she could do next.  “Do you know anything about magic?” Being from a long line of strong women Cora and her sister both had magic.  But Cora only used it when necessary. Whereas her sister had allowed herself to be seduced by the darker side of magic.

Zelena threw her head back and roared with laughter.  “Doesn’t everyone in this world?”

Cora shrugged, “I know some but I chose to use it sparingly. It was never something I was comfortable with.”  Zelena narrowed her eyes at the obvious lie.  Regina had gotten her skills from somewhere.  “I was just thinking,” she moistened her lips.  “If there’s a curse then there’s a way to break it.  And I can make my way back to my husband and my baby.”

Zelena studied the woman thoroughly.  And yet she sensed no deception from her.  “What happened to you?” she asked as she move closer to her.

Cora hung her head and stared at her empty hand where her wedding ring should’ve been.  Since Henry’d placed it on her finger she’d never taken it off.  “If I were to venture a guess I’d say my sister.”  She frowned and shook her head before looking back at the stranger in her house, “My twin sister.  She has magic.  Strong dark magic.”  Her cheeks reddened as she continued, “And she’s always hated me for some odd reason,” Cora stared off into a corner lost deep in thought.

Then her Mother dropped a second bombshell on her, “she’s already cost me one child.” Zelena’s head reared back at this.  The woman was actually trying to pawn off what she’d done onto some other woman.  She sucked in a breath at her audacity as Cora continued. 

“I won’t let her have Regina too.  She’s all that I have left.  And I have to find her,” she looked to the stranger again.  “Please, if you can help me find her.  I’d do anything.”

“There might be a way,” Zelena mumbled. Her head was reeling with these new revelations from her Mother.  She was confused and needed time to sort things out.  She was also feeling something that she hadn’t expected to feel.  And feeling anything other than pain and anger was so foreign to her that she wasn’t sure how to identify it.

Cora leaped from the bed.  “I’ll do anything.  I just need to get back to my daughter,” she pleaded.  She wasn’t sure why but she had a feeling that this stranger could be trusted.  For some reason finding her in her home made her feel as if they had some kind of bond between them.

Zelena’s lips turned up at the corners, “as you wish.”  She nodded and then called upon her magic.  She poofed them both back to her place. 

After the green smoke cleared Cora looked around her wide-eyed.  “What are we doing here?” she asked as she took in her surroundings.  They appeared to be in a castle.  But it was one she wasn’t familiar with.  She knew she wasn’t in the White or Xavier Kingdoms.

“Afraid?” Zelena purred while staring into her eyes.  She snapped her fingers and a monkey flew through a window.  Cora gasped.  She jumped back as she stared at the monstrosity.  It was neither man nor primate yet seemed to be a combination of the two.  Then as its feet touched down it went from being a monkey to a man.  “Walsh here will show you where you can clean up.  In the meantime I have to get a few things in order before we can look for your daughter.”  Zelena stared at her Mother as Walsh bowed to her and held his hand for her to follow him.

Cora nodded at the creature suddenly unsure of what to do next.  It hadn’t occurred to her until laying eyes on it that she might be in danger.  But she hadn’t yet found her husband and daughter.  And this woman obviously carried magic.  If there was a way to get to them there was no sacrifice too great.

Zelena’s eyes glistened as she smiled at her Mother’s obvious distress, “I promise you that seeing your daughter’s face with you by my side is as important to you as it is to me.”

Cora gave her a big smile.  Her sister had always made fun of her for trusting in people.  She called her the most gullible woman in the world.  But Cora didn’t see it that way. She felt if that if you trusted people, they’d surprise you.  And here was a lovely young woman who’d extended her hand to her in her time of need.  For her, that was all the proof she needed that there was good in everyone. 

She began to follow the creature Walsh as he waited for her at the door but then turned back to the woman, “I’m sorry but I never got your name.”

‘That’s because you never gave me one,’ she thought to herself while plastering a smile on her face.  “I’m called Zelena.”

Cora ran to the woman and engulfed her in a hug.  Zelena frowned as her arms hung limply at her sides.  When she pulled back Cora smiled into the woman’s clear blue eyes.  It was her eyes that had told her that she could trust her.  They reminded her of someone she once knew.  “And I’m Cora, by the way.”

Zelena’s mouth turned up at the corners.  “And now we’ve met.  Please make yourself comfortable. You have plenty of time to rest up for what comes next.”

Cora again smiled and this time eagerly followed Walsh from the room. 

Zelena watched her Mother go.  “Well this just got interesting,” she intoned as her mind began to conjure up the many possibilities.


End file.
